Canoe construction



March 1, 1960 J. R. MADLEM CANOE nousmucwxon Filed Jan. 10, 1958 J'OAW 241402544 A 77' ORA/571$ CANOE CONSTRUCTION John R. Madlem, Hudson, N.Y.

Application January 10, 1958, Serial No. 708,234 6 Claims. c1. 9 -6 This invention relates generally to'the art of boat construction. More particularly the invention has reference to an improved construction of a canoe.

Canoes as conventionally designed and constructed have certain disadvantages. For example, the bottom of a conventional canoe does not have sufficient flatness to allow for maximum stability and load-carrying capacity, and this is the result of the requirements for shaping of the frame and for incorporation of other features, when conventional canoe design is being followed.

Further, a conventional canoe is rather difficult to handle, so far as pulling the same onto the shore, carrying it on portages, etc. are concerned, and in addition is so designed as to make it difiicult to tie the canoe down when it is not in use. Still further, the conventional canoe design is such as to require an excessive amount of space, in relation to the overall area of the canoe, for flotation compartments, etc. a

In view of the above, the main object of the present invention is to provide an improved canoe design, which will not have the deficiencies noted above. It is proposed, in this regard, to accomplish, among others, the following important objects, in carrying out the invention:

First, to provide a canoe design that will take full advantage of the potentials of plastic fabrication;

Second, to provide for unitary construction of the thwarts, gunwales, decks, and front seat, whereby to impart to the canoe a life-long stability by reason of the fact that no components may possibly become loose;

Third, to provide an improved design of the ends of the canoe, including a molded-in handle, thereby to provide an increased facility of carrying, together with maximum facility as regards tying down the canoe when it is not in use;

Fourth, to provide an improved bottom construction which will incorporate in the canoe a honeycomb structure, completely filling a sealed cavity within the hull, thereby to eliminate completely the conventional, unsightly cross-bracing, add rigidity to the canoe, and create individual air chambers, in a manner such that maximum flotation area is incorporated in the canoe to add to the amount of storage space below decks that is usable toadvantage;

Fifth, to provide a flatter bottom on the canoe than is usual in conventional canoe construction, whereby to increase stability and the load-carrying capacity; and

Sixth, to provide solid, foam-plastic-filled gunwales, that will add to the overall strength of the canoe and that will allow for complete water drainage when the canoe is stored.

Other objects will appear from the following description, the claims appended thereto, and from the annexed drawing, in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

Figure l is a side elevational view of a canoe built according to the present invention, partially in longitudinal section;

Figure 2 is a top plan view thereof;

Figure 3 is an enlarged transverse sectional view on line 33 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view, on the same scale as Figure 3, taken substantially on line 4-4 of Figure 1; and

Figure 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary, detail sectional view showing the honeycomb structure of the canoe bottom, taken substantially on line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Referring to the drawing in detail, the canoe 10 constituting the present invention includes a hull 11 which is of shaped plastic material. A reinforced plastic such as Fiberglas is employed in fashioning the hull 11, and the material used in the hull would be molded, shaped, or otherwise formed according to the practices followed in the art, in a single, unitary piece so as to be, in effect, a one-piece, seamless hull structure.

So far as the general shape of the hull is concerned, this will of course follow the main contours of a conventional canoe. However, as will be noted from Figure 1, from its mid-length point, the hull is progressively, gradually, increased in depth to the ends of the canoe. At the same time, of course, the hull is progressively, gradually decreased or tapered from its mid-length point toward its opposite ends, when viewed in top plan as in Figure 2.

This follows the general contour of a conventional canoe, but certain important differences may be noted. Referring to Figures 3 and 4, the bottom 12 of the canoe is wholly flat in a manner to allow for greater stability and greater load carrying capacity in relation'to the length and beam of the canoe. Further, the decks 13 (see Figures 1 .and 2) are substantially flattened off at the extremities of the canoe, at which extremities said decks merge into rounded corners 15. The corners 15 are solidly formed, integrally with the adjacent components of the hull, and have transverse, through openings 17 providing handles in the solid reinforcing portions 19 of the hull.

Referring to Figures 3-.and 4, the bottom 12 is hollow, comprising top and bottom laminations between which there is a honeycomb filler 14. The honeycomb structure can be of any suitable material, and could, for'example, be of plastic material. The honeycomb structure imparts lightness to the bracing means defined thereby,

and at the same time, said honeycomb structure insures" the permanent spacing of the top and bottom laminations 21, 23 of the bottom 12, which laminations are disposed in contact with the top and bottom surfaces of the honeycomb structure, said laminations being sealably connected at their ends and sides to provide a shallow, hermetically sealed flotation compartment 25 completely filled by the honeycomb insert 14.

The sides of the hull have been designated at 16, and merge integrally into the bottom 12 (see Figures 3 and 4).

Designated at 27 are the gunwales of the canoe. While these have the same exterior configuration as those of conventional canoes, in accordance with the present invention, the gunwales 27 are integral with the side walls 16 of the hull, the thwarts 20, 22 and the front and rear seats 24, 26 respectively.

Further, not only is there a unitary construction of the seats, thwarts, gunwales and decks but also, the gunwales are filled with foam plastic 18, thus adding to the overall strength of the craft and allowing for complete water.

The particular construction which I have devised for the top structure, is especially designed to provide maximum strength, in relation to the amount of material used, the relative simplicity of the manufacturing processes, and the total weight of the topsides of theboat.

In this connection, the top or topside structure 28 includes the decks 13 of sheet-like material, which, in the illustrated example, merge into the side walls of the respective end portions of the hull. The decks of sheet material, inwardly from the respective extremities of the craft, have transverse inner end edges 30, which are formed as depending flanges, thus reinforcing the sheet material of the decks. The flanges merge integrally at their opposite ends into the inner side walls 32 of the hollow gunwales, said inner side walls cooperating with outer side walls 34 of the gunwales, and with top walls 36of said gunwales, in defining the cavities in which the buoyant material is disposed. The bottoms of the cavi ties are closed by the top edges of the, sides 16 of the hull.

Referring to Figure 4, the thwarts have top surfaces 38 which are coplanar with and which are integrally connected to the top walls 36. This provides for a particularly strong, unitary construction of the topside structure. Further reinforcement is provided by the seats themselves, which have depressed intermediate portions 40 merging into upwardly outwardly inclined end portions 42, the outer, upper ends of which are coplanar with and merge into the top walls 36.

Since there are no attaching devices where the several components which have been described herein are connected to each other, lifelong stability is imparted to the canoe construction, since there are no components that can work loose. Apart from this, the canoe has improved flotation characteristics in relation to its size and capacity, and at the same time has improved stability, and load-carrying features. Apart from these highly desirable characteristics, the canoe formed according to the present invention, though not of excessive cost, has pronounced ruggedness, resistance to deterioration, and freedom from expensive, periodic maintenance that is a characteristic of conventional canoe design.

It is believed apparent that the invention is not necessarily confined to the specific use or uses thereof described above, since it may be utilized for any purpose to which it may be suited. Nor is the invention to be necessarily limited to the specific construction illustrated and described, since such construction is only intended to be illustrative of the principles, it being considered that the invention comprehends any minor change in construction that may be permitted within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A boat construction comprising a hull; and a topside structure secured to the hull and including decks of sheet material at the opposite end portions of the hull, said decks extending across the full width of the respective, associated end portions of the hull and having transverse inner end edges spaced inwardly from the respective, adjacent hull extremities and formed with depending reinforcing flanges, and gunwales integral at their ends with and connected between the respective decks, said gunwales being secured to the top edges of the respective, associated sides of the hull and being formed with cavities over approximately their full lengths, the cavities of the gunwales having top walls formed as integral continuations of the sheet material of the decks in the general planes of the respective decks, inner side walls formed as integral continuations of said flanges of the decks, and outer side walls formed as integral continuations of the side walls of said end portions of the hull, the gunwales including a buoyant material within the cavities confined by said top wall and. by said. inner and outer walls of each gunwale, said topside structure further including a plurality of thwarts and seats extending transversely of the topside structure between the decks and integrally connected to the respective gunwales, the thwarts including top walls integral and coplanar with said top walls of the gunwales.

2. A boat construction as in claim 1, wherein said seats are formed with intermediate portions offset downwardly from the plane of the thwarts and end portions inclined in directions upwardly outwardly from the intermediate portions, the end portions of the seats terminating in the plane of and being integrally connected to the top walls of the gunwales.

3. A boat construction as in claim 2, wherein said topside structure is formed with an open space between each seat and the thwart nearest thereto.

4. A boat construction comprising a hull; and a topside structure secured to the hull and including decks of sheet material at opposite end portions of the hull, said decks extending across the full width of the respective, associated end portions of the hull and having transverse inner end edges spaced inwardly from the respective, adjacent hull extremities and formed with depending, reinforcing flanges, and gunwales integral at their ends with and connected between the respective decks, said gunwales overlying and being secured to the top edges of the respective, associated sides of the hull and being formed with cavities over approximately their full lengths, the cavities of the gunwales having top walls formed as integral continuations of the sheet material of the decks in the general planes of the respective decks, inner side walls formed as integral continuations of said flanges of the decks, and outer side walls formed as integral continuations of the side walls of said end portions of the hull, the top edges of the hull forming bottom walls of the cavities, said gunwales including a buoyant material within the cavities confined by and engaged against the top walls, inner and outer side walls, and bottom walls of the cavities.

5. A boat construction as in claim 4, wherein the sides of the hull, over the full length thereof, are integral with the decks and with the respective outer side walls of the gunwales.

6. A boat construction as in claim 5, wherein the hull is formed, at its opposite extremities, with transverse through openings, said openings being disposed wholly below the general planes of the decks, the hull having solid parts at its opposite extremities in which said openings are formed with said solid parts extending the full distance between the opposite sides of the hull at the hull extremities, said solid parts terminating at the top surface thereof at the general planes of the decks with the decks being integrally connected to the solid parts.

References Cited in the file of this patent :UNITED STATES PATENTS 658,043 Pfautz Sept. 18, 1900 2,376,753 Bowen May 22, 1945 2,381,631 Waring Aug. 7, 1945 2,562,372 Tveter July 31, 1951 2,569,611 Jenkins Oct. 2, 1951 2,582,228 Brinkema Jan. 15, 1952 2,813,050 Hickson Nov. 12, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 750,239 Great Britain June 13, 1956 814,846 Germany Sept. 27, 1951 OTHER REFERENCES Plastics (British), pp. 64-66, October 1949. Modern Plastics, pp. l27l29, May 1946.

Modern Plastics, pp. 102-106, November 1952. 

